Article

Fear of falling has been identified as an important and independent
fall-risk predictor in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there are
inconsistent findings on the effects of balance and gait training on balance
confidence. Objective. To explore whether balance and gait training with
augmented feedback can enhance balance confidence in PD patients immediately
after treatment and at 3- and 12-month follow-ups. Methods. A total of 51 PD
patients were randomly assigned to a balance and gait training (BAL) group or to
an active control (CON) group. The BAL group received balance and gait training
with augmented feedback, whereas CON participants received lower-limb strength
training for 12 weeks. Outcome measures included Activities-Specific Balance
Confidence (ABC) Scale, limits-of-stability test, single-leg-stance test, and
spatiotemporal gait characteristics. All tests were administered before
intervention (Pre), immediately after training (Post), and at 3 months (Post3m)
and 12 months (Post12m) after treatment completion. Results. The ABC score
improved marginally at Post and significantly at Post3m and Post12m only in the
BAL group (P < .017). Both participant groups increased their end point excursion
at Post, but only the BAL group maintained the improvement at Post3m. The BAL
group maintained significantly longer time-to-loss-of-balance during the
single-leg stance test than the CON group at Post3m and Post12m (P < .05). For
gait characteristics, both participant groups increased gait velocity, but only
the BAL group increased stride length at Post, Post3m, and Post12m (P < .017).
Conclusions. Positive findings from this study provide evidence that BAL with
augmented feedback could enhance balance confidence and balance and gait
performance in patients with PD.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2014.

Langue : ANGLAIS